Chapter 7

She jumped as her phone rang filling the kitchen with the sound of the Pigeon Detectives, she looked at the caller id and smiled .

“Hi Dad.”

“Yes I know, No nothings wrong I'm fine really.”

Dave tried not to listen but it was difficult not to with her in the same room as him so he busied himself switching the kettle on and making a pot of tea.

“Yes Daddy I was just feeling a down and I wanted to hear your voice that's all, then I remembered the time difference and didn't want to wake you guys up.”

“Yes I know I can come home if I want to but I do want to stay, but I was wondering if I could come home the week after next for a few days that's all.”

Dave stopped what he was doing and stood with his back to her listening to her words.

“I know I don't have to ask Dad, I was thinking about coming over ..oh let me get my organiser it's in the other room.”

Dave turned and watched as she went through the kitchen door heading back towards his study, the last thing he wanted was for her to go away from him even for a few days right now. Silently he followed her down the hall listening as she carried on speaking

“No Daddy nothings really wrong, I'm just at a friends house and he has some vases of lilies here and you know.....” she gave a small sniff “I just suddenly needed to see you all again. Hang on let me get the date for you.”

Dave stood in the doorway just out of Callans line of view watching as she rummaged through her bag for her diary and flicked through the pages, “Here we are, I was thinking the Friday after next so that's the 27th, is that Ok you're not going to be away or anything are you?”

“Ok then, will you book my ticket for me or should I do it?”

“Yes I'll collect it then, ok Daddy, so is everyone alright there?”

“That's good, yes I'm fine I've almost finished that paper that's got to be handed in,”

“What friend?”

“Oh you mean Dave, no” she blushed glad that Dave wasn't there to see her “He's not my boyfriend, why do you always have to ask that when I mention a guys name?”

She paused and listened rolling her eyes “No and why do you always have to ask that too?”

“No he isn't a student, he's a musician”

She couldn't help smiling to herself as she listened to her Father.

“Yes Daddy a musician and yes he is a little older than me and no he's just a friend like I told you he was. ”

A little older, more like 20 years older, Dave thought to himself wondering what her Dad would say if she'd told him exactly how old.

“Ok then Dad, yes I love you too and I'll see you on the 27th , ok bye, love you, love you.”

She gave a small sigh and snapped her mobile phone shut as Dave stole silently back to the lounge.

“Everything ok honey?” he asked as she joined him a couple of minutes later

“Yes fine, that was my Dad as you might have guessed. I'm going home to see him the week after next.”

“That's nice” Dave managed “How long for?”

“Just a few days, I really miss him and then suddenly today” she paused and looked over at one of the vases for a moment “Well today... I realised how much I need to go home .”

“You will be coming back though won't you?” he asked following her gaze and frowning. Something about those lilies was obviously bothering her, first she'd mentioned them to her Dad and now she kept glancing over at them.

“Oh God yes, it's just that I have a weeks break coming up so I thought I'd take the opportunity to go and spend some time with my family.”

“Will you be seeing your Mom too? I'm guessing your parents aren't together when you mentioned him having a girlfriend earlier.”

Once again he watched her as she looked at the vase on the table, “Callan do you want me to move those flowers?”

“No they're fine, actually lilies are my favourite flowers.”

“Somethings bothering you about them though what is it?” he asked concern now showing in his voice

“They remind me of my Dad that's all, he's always bought them for my Mom ever since I was little.”

“Oh so are your parents together then, I thought that when you said about his girlfriend they'd divorced or something.”

Callan shook her head and looked up at him her green eyes filled with tears “No Dave my Mom died when I was a baby.”

“Oh god I'm sorry I didn't realise.” immediately he went over and wrapped his arms around her “I'm sorry.”

“”It's not your fault you weren't to know.” she blinked back the tears that were now threatening to fall, “She died whilst giving birth to me.”

“So you never knew her?”

“No but my Dad told me the most wonderful stories about her, about how excited and proud she was when she found out she was expecting me, they used to sit and talk about everything they wanted for me in life, you know dance classes music classes stuff like that... when she died Dad promised himself that he'd make sure he carried out everyone of her wishes for me and he has.”

“Oh honey” he managed in a small voice thinking of his own childhood “Your Dad must be a great guy.”

“He is Dave, he's the best, I just wish that I'd known my Mom even if it had been for just a small while, Dad tells me I'm just like her in the way I am you know my temperament the way I do things..”

“So what happened, I mean when she died was there a reason for it?”

“Her heart just stopped, no one knows why, apparantly it happens sometimes, Dad says he was lucky that he got to see her hold me before it happened, that he saw his two girls together, that's his most precious memory you know my Mom cradling me in her arms, he carries that photo of the two of us everywhere.”

“It must have been really hard for him though bringing up a tiny baby and trying to deal with his grief though.”

“I guess it was for him, not that he'd ever admit it to me, I think that having me to focus on helped a little somehow,” She looked at Dave and smiled, “Lilies were her favourite flowers so he buys them every week for her, he says they help him still feel close to her, that's why he added the name Lilly to the ones he and my Mum had chosen for me, he wanted me to have something that meant so much to her to link us together.”

“I remember how my Mom was after my Dad died, she tried to hide it from me as I was so young but I could see how she was.”

“You lost your Dad when you were young?” she asked looking up at him

Dave swallowed and nodded “ Yes I was seven when he died, I was devastated, I can't imagine how it was for my Mom. Then a couple of years later I found out......well I found out that he wasn't actually my dad, it turned out my real Dad had left when I was three and Mom had remarried and he'd bought us up as his own..”

“God Dave that must have been a huge shock” she took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently “ And you'd had no idea he wasn't your real Dad?.”

“None at all.”

“He must have been a good guy though...your Stepdad I mean to bring you up and treat you no differently than if you were his own.”

“I guess so. So how was it with you, is it just you and your Dad or did he remarry?”

“No he's never married again, he won't because he loved my Mum too much, but he met Anna when I was two and she took the two of us on, she couldn't have children of her own so she treated me as if I was her own daughter, it's funny but although we weren't related we looked alike and everyone thought she was actually my Mom.”

She looked up and saw the expression on Dave's face and shook her head somehow knowing what he was thinking. “No she looked nothing like my Mom, Dad wasn't trying to replace her with Anna, we just happened to have the same hair and both have green eyes, that's all.”

Dave jumped slightly spooked at her words “How did you know I was thinking that?”

Callan shrugged “I don't know I just knew somehow, maybe it was your expression.” she smiled at him and carried on “So anyway I was blessed with having Anna to take care of me, What about you do you ever see your real dad now? ”

“No he died a few years ago.”

“I'm sorry....Did you get to know him?”

He shook his head “He turned up one day when I was ten hung around for a year or so then took off again”

“Oh right”

“I reacted badly to the whole situation I mean suddenly this guy turns up telling me his my dad and I was but my dad is dead, the whole thing really knocked me for six and... you know I went off the rails, fighting, nicking cars, I was always in trouble with the police. My poor Mom was always having to bail me out, I became a right tearaway.” he stopped and smiled at her “one night the police came knocking on our door and Mom told them I'd been in all night even though I hadn't and they said we know it's your son he's written his name on the wall.”

Callan put her hand to her mouth and giggled “Sorry, I shouldn't laugh but you weren't exactly a criminal mastermind then... I mean writing your name like that.”

“Yeah not exactly the most clever thing to do” he chuckled “So there you are now you know my past deeds I straightened myself out when they sent me to weekend borstal.”

“So here you are now then bad boy to Rock star in one easy move.”

“Something like that.” he glanced at her before looking down and wondering whether he should tell her the whole story now

“Is something wrong?” she asked noticing the look on his face.

“No nothing, I was just thinking about something” he looked up at her and forced a smile “Nothing that won't keep, for now”

“Ok” she frowned “If you're sure.”

“I'm sure” he glanced over a the clock on the dvd player “Were you planning on studying this afternoon?”

“Well I haven't actually gotten anything done this morning so I was going to try and get a couple of hours in why?”

“I was wondering....well... you see Rosie has a ballet recital this afternoon and I wondered if you'd like to come and see it with me.”

“Dave I'm not sure..”

“Please come.”

“What about Jen?”

“Jen won't be there she's away over night.”

“Oh... aww that's a shame so she's going to miss her perform ?”

David smiled “ No she went yesterday afternoon, they always do two performances”

“Oh right so do you kind of take it turns to go then?"

"No we both went together yesterday, we're keeping things civil for the sake of the children, so what do you think, will you come?"

"I'm still not sure about it Dave." she looked down at the clothes she was wearing "And I certainly can't turn up dressed like this."

"Please Callan, your clothes will be dry in a couple of minutes and I promise you you'll enjoy it , besides you'll be doing me a favour and saving me from all the Mom's who think I need looking after now I'm on my own."

"Oh dear too many Mom's throwing themselves at you are there?" Callan teased

"No but they all keep asking me if I need anything, for some reason they think I need help, they're always dropping by with cookies or something they've cooked for me."

"Aww poor you, and of course you don't take advantage of it do you now? I don't know Dave, anyway what about Rosie?"

"She'll just love having someone new to perform for and to interrogate afterwards, so how about it?"

“I'm not sure Dave, it's her special day after all.”

“Callan you have to meet her at some point, anyway I know Rosie she'll love meeting you. So will you come?”

"Ok then yes I'd love to."

"Great I'll check on your clothes" he leant over and kissed her on the cheek before literally leaping up and heading towards the utility area. "If we're quick we've just got time to grab some lunch before it starts."

Heading back through to the lounge with Callan's clothes still warm from the dryer in his arms, he stopped and picked up the business card he'd gotten from the Jewelers a few days earlier, slipping it into his pocket he carried on through to the lounge.

“Here you go. Calli I just need to pop out for a few minutes, I should be back by the time you're dressed, will you be ok on your own?”

“Yes I'll be fine”

“Good I'll see you in 10 ok”

“Ok Dave”



Once in the jewelers he explained what it was he wanted doing. “So do you think he can do it? The design I mean” he asked.

“Yes it's no problem, he really is one of the best craftsmen in his field”

“Good listen I know it's short notice but I really need it by next week would he be able to finish it by then?”

“Ok let me see” the jeweler checked through his records, “You're in luck Mr Gahan, he's not got much work on at the moment” he looked up at Dave “I'll mark it down as urgent, do you want me to phone you once I've spoken to him?”

“If you could please” Davehanded him a card with his number on. “I'll wait to hear from you then.”

“Yes thank you, goodbye Mr Gahan.”

“Yes thanks goodbye”

Grinning to himself he looked down at the copy of the sketch he'd just made in his hand “Callan I can't wait to see your face, you're going to love it.”

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